


The Day

by killerkanato



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Armin Is Sixteen, Eren is eighteen, Fluff, Gay Armin Arlert, High School, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Sad Ending, Short & Sweet, Short Chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24300430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerkanato/pseuds/killerkanato
Summary: "Tell you what, just give me twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours to change your life forever."And you gave me the best twenty-four hours of my life.-In which Armin runs into Eren on accident, then somehow ends up spending a full day with him, despite being total strangers. It ends up being the best day of his life, but Eren has darker intentions, as Armin finds out.
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	1. -In Which, I Meet a Lion

**_ chapter one _ **   
**_ Armin _ **   
**_ –And I am the Lamb _ **

In a world of seemingly endless people, endless places, and endless possibilities, things like this just don't happen. You don't run into someone on the street, knock all of their things out of their hands, and look at them as if they're your life. You don't do that.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. Should've looked where I was going." The tall stranger chuckled, his eyes scrunching at the sides in a way that I could not name or pin down.

You don't do that. _But I want to so bad_.

"It-It's ok, I also should've looked," I stuttered, then proceeded to blurt out just about the dumbest sentence I've ever spoken. I blinked rapidly, looking at the ground and scolding myself almost verbally. He laughed, though, this time with a smile so warm I could've melted. I didn't melt, not physically, but on the inside, I was a puddle.

"It's alright, no worries. Where you headed?" He asked in a deep voice, and I nearly shook at his words. How did I not notice before? And how does he deal with my voice, so high-pitched?

"Just home. What about you?" I asked slowly, trying to seem normal, but failing miserably. How do you act normal around someone like this? He's...art.

"Same as you." He smiled again, and I wish he'd stop doing that. The way my stomach twisted and scrunched up was not pleasant. Then he looked at me with big eyes. "Say, why don't we hang out? I know I'm a stranger, but I can't deny the way you look and act around me," he offered, and my eyes widened. I was unable to speak, my lungs giving out completely and beginning to shut down. He knew it, too, because his smile grew and grew. "Tell you what, just give me twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours to change your life forever."

And then he licked his lips deviously, and ran his slender hand through his thick, brown hair, and _I agreed_. I agreed _fast_.

"Twenty-four hours. You're on." I nodded stiffly, my stomach once again turning to melted wax and then churning incessantly.

"Great. You're on, beautiful stranger."

His hand found mine in seconds, and I was pulled away, never to see my past life again.


	2. -In Which, the Lion Finds a Way

**_ chapter two _ **   
**_ Armin _ **   
**_ –And the Lamb Lets Him _ **

In a world of seemingly endless people, endless places, and endless possibilities, things like this just don't happen. You don't let a stranger lead you around town for four hours, showing you every inch of it. You don't let him keep your hand in his as he runs around, and you certainly don't enjoy it. You don't do that.

"And this is my favorite restaurant, where we will be eating." He motioned to a building, and my eyes swept over slowly, taking in the small building. I then laughed, knowing it was not a restaurant at all, but a tiny, old-fashioned diner.

You don't do that. _But I want to so bad_.

"A restaurant, sure. Lead the way, Romeo!" I cheered in a way that had me confused, because I'm not like this. I'm quiet, I keep to myself, and I definitely don't socialize with beautiful boys who are probably too old for me.

You don't do that.

"Does that make you Juliet or something?" He teased, and I hate to admit to the redness that filled my cheeks. All the blood in my body found its way to my face, and I felt his stare. This beautiful stranger made me blush, and is now examining it. And I'm letting it happen.

When he showed me to a booth, I took a seat gingerly, watching him sit across from me. The glint in his eyes was impossible to miss, but I pretended I did. All to make sure this beautiful stranger doesn't leave me alone.

"Isn't your name Armin? Armin Arlert? I remember you from school," he started, and that's when I regretted it. I wanted to run, find a place to hide, and huddle down forever. Safe from confrontation.

"Uh, yeah, it is," I hesitated, and he smiled again. A genuine smile, not the smirk he wore before this. He smiled at me with radiance, and color, and life. He smiled at me with meaning.

"I'm Eren Jaeger, I graduated this year. What grade are you going into? Junior year?" He made light conversation similar to that all night, and I went with it. I'll always go with it.

And once four more hours had passed, I knew him enough to call him Eren. But I prefer beautiful stranger over eighteen-year-old boy.

So, when the beautiful stranger told me to get up and run, I did. We left the diner, we didn't pay. I looked at him with big eyes and began to panic, my lungs filling and emptying as fast as possible. But then he smiled at me again, his eyes sparkling and his nose crinkling.

And I _laughed_. I laughed until I couldn't breathe. Because I just stole food with a beautiful stranger, and I knew I shouldn't have.

But I did. And it was _wonderful_.


	3. -In Which, the Lion Stands Close

**_ chapter three _ **   
**_ Armin _ **   
**_ –And the Lamb Feels Anything but Fear _ **

In a world of seemingly endless people, endless places, and endless possibilities, things like this just don't happen. You don't hide behind a building with a beautiful stranger, ensuring you aren't arrested for stealing food. You don't feel a thrill deep in your stomach when he stands a bit too close, and you certainly don't step even closer. You don't do that.

"What if we get caught?" I rushed out, glancing up at the tall boy with the widest of eyes. He was looking back down at me when I did, and it was then that I really felt his presence. His chest must've been no more than five inches from my face, and it was so hard not to lean closer. I wanted his arms wrapped around my shoulders, his slender fingers combing through my hair. I wanted him to hold me, to make me feel loved.

You don't do that. _But I want to so bad_.

"We won't get caught, Armin. Just stay calm and lay low, we won't get caught," his words were so smooth and calming, you could almost describe it as a purr. I melted into them, nearly melting into his arms. My entire body loosened when hearing his velvet words, and I never want that feeling to leave. I never want this beautiful stranger to leave.

But almost as soon as he was there, he was gone. He was stepping away from me and I could no longer feel his warmth. His presence was removed, everything I had learned to love had dissipated in a second, and he took my smile with it. How can he do that?

"It's probably safe now, we can go." He still smiled at me, though, bringing a spark of his warmth back to my stomach. I couldn't help but smile back, nodding slowly while examining his bright green eyes. "So, what do you want to do now?" He asked me, glancing around the small alleyway, the sun catching his eyes in a way that I couldn't even fathom being possible.

"Maybe just talk?" I suggested quietly, afraid of the response I'd get. Most people aren't fond of deep conversations in two-thousand-twenty, but I hope he is. If he is, that'll be icing on an already-perfect cake.

He smiled, his cheeks molding to fit this new facial expression, and for a split second, I forgot how to breathe. He quickly pulled me back into reality by grabbing my hand once more, sending a bolt of electricity through my veins. My entire body felt static-filled, my fingertips and toes were tingling as if you had just stuck a thousand needles into my skin. I couldn't stop absorbing the feeling, my entire body aches for it as he pulls me back into the street. I craved his touch more and more as he kept his hand in mine, and I couldn't understand why. I can't understand why his skin gives me such electricity, and I won't attempt to.

Now he's talking and my entire body feels light. His fingers twitch in mine a bit, I can feel his calloused fingers brush against my knuckles. I can hear his voice so clearly, as if we aren't walking down the busy streets of Los Angeles. The only thing I don't notice is how dizzy I feel, how my entire body tingles with desire. I don't notice how my breaths are uneven or how my eyes are hooded. I don't notice he's asked a question until it's too late.

"Are you alright? You seem out of it," he wondered, and I should worry. I should fear that he's figured me out and that I've ruined everything, but I don't. I just continue to stare at him, breathless in every sense of the word. "I was wondering if you have a favorite book? Mine is probably IT by Stephen King, I love his work. Do you read Stephen King?"

And now my breath is caught for so many reasons, reasons I can barely process while staring into his wide eyes. He asked me if I read Stephen King, and my shameful answer is no.

"Uh, no, actually. I've read The Shining, but I didn't get into it much. I'm into different genres, mostly, but I don't mind horror," I forced out, trying to make my voice sound as normal as possible. I failed of course as my voice shook and swayed, unable to stay even. That's when he smiled again, which had me panicked, because I know he knows. I'm an open book with him, which is so incredibly new that I don't know how to close myself. How can I ever close myself off to this beautiful stranger?

"What's your favorite book, then?" He asked again, making me panic slightly. When he hears my answer, he may just laugh. He may realize that he's talking to someone two years younger. He may realize exactly who I am and what I'm interested in. He may find my interests dumb, or even comical, and he may just cut my twenty-four-hours short.

"Uh, it's called Carry On. It's by Rainbow Rowell, the author that wrote Eleanor and Park. I'm sure you've heard of Eleanor and Park, everyone has." My words mushed together and there were far too many of them, but he didn't seem to mind. He continued to smile with such radiance. I swear he reached up and stole the sun, placing it in his own body to show off to the world through smiles and his eyes.

But no, the sun is still there in the sky. I can tell by how it shines down and bounces off of his skin, fascinating me in many ways that I can't even begin to explain. The way it accentuates his smile is more than a blessing, in my eyes, and I can't imagine anything better than this.

"I've never heard of Carry On, but I have read Eleanor and Park." He nodded, and I was forced to watch as his hair bounced on his forehead slightly. I was forced to endure the desire I felt inside of me, wanting nothing more than to run my hands through his thick locks, my fingers sliding through so effortlessly. I wanted to watch his eyes flutter closed as I played with his hair, and I know I shouldn't have. I don't know what this new want is that's gathering up inside of me, but I do know it can't mean anything good. "Will you read it to me?"

That's when the breath really left my lungs, that's when I no longer felt ok enough to speak. _That's_ when the anxiety finally kicked in, and I felt awful in a split second. Why would he want me to read it to him? Me, with my shrill tone and wavering voice, why?

"Read to you? Really?"

"Yes, really. I'd love that."

So I agreed, and for the next three hours, we headed for a library, where we quickly found my favorite book. We then walked to a local park, walking far into the grassy field, my cheeks reddening more with each step we took. We laid down on the grass, and he stared at me as I opened the book. I could feel his eyes examining me entirely, the weirdest part being how I didn't care. The weirdest part being how it made me feel excited and tingly.

The weirdest part being that I let it happen.


End file.
